Top stop for slide fasteners



Aug. 25, 1959 A. M. BROWN TOP STOP FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Filed Feb. 20, 1956 ATTOR/Vf) TOP STOP FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Alexander M. Brown, Conneaut Lake, Pa., assignor to Talon, Inc., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 20, 1956, Serial No. 566,436

Claims. (Cl. 24205.11)

This invention relates to slide fasteners and, more particularly, to an improved end stop arrangement therefor.

A slide fastener consists generally of a pair of stringer tapes having a series of spaced-apart interlocking fastener elements attached to the opposed beaded edges thereof. There is arranged bn the fastener elements a slider for longitudinal movement therealong for engaging and disengaging the fastener elements in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. It is customary to provide end stops for the fastener i.e., a bottom stop for limiting the opening movement of the slider and top stops for limiting the closing movement thereof and it is to such a top stop arrangement that the present invention relates.

While many types of top stops have been heretofore suggested and used, they were usually attached to the beaded edges of the stringers above the endmost fastener element thereof and did not enter the slider. In some applications of the fastener, it is most desirable that the stops enter the slider channel when the slider is moved to its most extreme position in the direction to close the fastener in order that a more complete closure is obtained and to enhance the appearance of the application. While some top stops heretofore suggested possessed this characteristic, they oftentimes would stick in the slider channel thereby resulting in difficulty in operating the slider. Also, the assembly of the top stop on the fastener stringer was difiicult and expensive and required special tools and equipment. Accordingly, it is one of the objects of this invention to provide an improved top stop arrangement wherein these disadvantages are eliminated.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a top stop arrangement wherein the need for a special stop is eliminated.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved top stop arrangement which enters the slider channel when the slider is in its fully closed position thereby enhancing the appearance of the fastener.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a top stop arrangement by deforming a series of endmost fastener elements so that they will not interlock with one another but act as a stop when brought into abutting relation in the slider channel.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown for the purpose of illustration, one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view of a slide fastener having the improved top stop arrangement of the present invention incorporated therewith,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the upper end of a slide fastener showing my stop construction with the slider shown in section and positioned in its fully closed position, and

Patented Aug. 25, 1959 Fig. 3 is a perspective view of dies and a punch showing how the endmost fastener elements are deformed to provide the top stop arrangement in accordance with the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings a slide fastener consisting of a pair of stringer tapes 2 having a plurality of spacedapart interlocking fastener elements 3 attached to the opposed edges thereof.

Each of the fastener elements 2 consist of a pair of leg portions 4 arranged on the outer end thereof by means of which the elements are clamped to the beaded edges of the stringer tapes and interlocking head portion 5 arranged in the inner end thereof having a recess 6 and projection 7 formed therein. In interengaging the fas tener elements, it is well known that the head portion of each of the fastener elements of one stringer enters between two fastener elements of the opposed stringer and that the projection of one fastener element engages with the recesses of the opposed fastener elements to interlock the fastener elements. In other words the fastener elements are spaced-apart just sufliciently to receive the head portion of an opposed fastener element therebetween when the stringers are flexed as they pass into and through the channel of the slider.

There is arranged on the fastener elements 2, a slider 8 for longitudinal movement therealong for engaging and disengaging the fastener elements in a well known manner. Such a slider consists generally of upper and lower wings and 10, respectively, connected by a neck portion 12 at one end thereof and having marginal flanges 13 so as to provide a substantially Y-shaped channel 14 between the wings.

According to the present invention, the head portions of the uppermost fastener elements 15, three in the present instance, are deformed so as to provide a blunt nose 16 on the outer ends of each of these fastener elements. In other words, the projections 7 and recesses 6 are deformed so as to provide these relatively wide blunt nose portions 16. These blunt nose portions 16 on the 0pposed uppermost fastener elements 15 are considerably wider than the spaces between the fastener elements and due to their deformation, will not interlock with one another but will abut one another when they enter the slider channel 14, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. That is to say, due to the fact that the head portions are blunt they will not enter between any two of the opposed fastener elements which also have a blunt nose. Accordingly, the overall width of the combined opposed fastener elements 15 is greater than the distance between the marginal flanges 13 of the slider 8 thereby preventing these endmost elements 15 from passing through the slider channel 14 so as to provide an effective top stop for the slider and limit its movement in a direction to close the fastener.

These head portions of the upper endmost elements 15 may be deformed in a suitable manner. In Fig. 3 of the drawings, there is shown one means by which they can be deformed. There is shown a pair of opposed re :ciprocable side dies 17 which move toward one another to clamp the endmost fastener elements 15 therebetween. Above the elements there is mounted for reciprocable movement a swaging tool or punch 18 which swages or flattens the head portions so as to provide the blunt nose portion 16 thereon.

As a result of my invention, it will be seen that there is provided a simple and inexpensive top stop'arrangement which is effective and efiicient in its use. By the practice of the present invention it will be seen that the need of an additional top stop is eliminated thereby reducing the cost of manufacture of slide fasteners.

While I have shown and described an embodiment be devised within the scope of my invention as defined.

in the appended claims.

What I claim. as my invention is:

1. In a slide fastener of the class described, comprising a pair .of opposed stringer tapes having a series of spacedapart interlocking fastener elements attached to the pposed edges thereof and a slider arranged thereon for Ion.- gitudinal movement therealong for engaging and disengaging the same, a plurality of the upper endmost fastener elements on each of said tapes being deformed in such.

manner so that the deformed endmost fastener elements on one stringer will not interengage with those of the opposed stringer and will not pass through said slider so as to provide an end stop for said fastener.

2. In a slide fastener of the class described, comprising a pair of opposed stringer tapes having a series of spaced-apart,interlocking fastener elements attached to the opposed edges thereof and a slider arranged thereon for longitudinal movement therealong for engaging and disengaging the same, the head portions of a plurality of the upper endmost fastener elements on each of said tapes being distorted so as not to interengage with one another and in such manner that they will not pass through said slider but will abut the endmost fastener elements of the opposed stringer so as to provide an end stop for said fastener.

3. In a slide fastener of the class described, comprising a pair of opposed stringer tapes having a series of spaced-apart interlocking fastener elements attached to the opposed edges thereof and a slider arranged thereon for longitudinal movement therealong for engaging and disengaging the same, said slider having overlying wing portions connected at one end by a neck portion and marginal flange portions so as to provide a substantially Y-shaped channel therebetween, the head portions of the upper endmost fastener elements on each of said tapes being deformed so as to provide enlarged head portions which will not interengage with the opposed fastener elements of the opposed stringer when the slider is moved to its fully closed position in engagement therewith and which acts as an. end stop for said fastener when said opposed deformed elements enter said channel of the slider and abut one another.

4. In a slide fastener of the class described comprising a pair of opposed stringer tapes having a series of interlocking fastener elements equally spaced apart along the opposed edges thereof and a channeled slider arranged thereon for longitudinal movement therealong for engaging and disengaging said elements, each of said elements having an attaching portion and an interlocking head portion which is adapted to be disposed in the space between two adjacent fastening elements of the opposed stringer when the fastener is closed and in interengagemerit therewith, the head portions of a plurality of the endmost fastener elements on at least one of said stringers being deformed so that the head portions will not enter into the space between any two of the opposed endmost fastener elements of the opposed stringer but will abut the head portions thereof and prevent the endmost fastener elements from interengaging with one another, and consequently, from passing through the channel of the slider when the slider is moved to its fully closed position into engagement therewith.

5. In a slide fastener of the class described comprisinga pair of opposed stringer tapes having a series of interlocking fastener elements equally spaced apart along the opposed edges thereof and a channeled slider arranged thereonfor longitudinal movement therealong for engaging and disengaging said elements, each of said elements having an attaching portion and an interlocking head portion which is adapted to be disposed in the space between two adjacent fastening elements of the opposed stringer when the fastener is closed and in interengagement therewith, the headportions of a plurality of endmost fastener elements on both of said stringers being flattened on the outer ends thereof so as to deform the same and provide enlarged blunt nose portions thereon so that the head portions will not enter into the space between any two of the opposed deformed fastener elements of the opposed stringer but will abut the flattened head portions-thereof and prevent the endmost fastener elements from interengaging with one another, and consequently, from passing through the channel of the slider. when the slider is moved to its fully closed position into engagement therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES 'PATENTS 2,026,904 Morin et al. Jan. 7, 1936- 2,220,136 Marinsky Nov. 5, 1940 2,469,509 Marinsky May 10, 1949 2,522,327 Winterhalter Sept. 12, 1950 2,563,454 Brown Aug. 7, 1951 2,634,493 Rappaport Apr. 14, 1953 

